Rome was massive and, of course, filled with more history than I can effectively communicate in a blog entry. So here were our highlights:
Staying at tricked-out campsites is my new favorite way to travel:
We stayed at the coolest, most practical, most economical place of our trip... Camping Roma.
Camping Roma is a rather high-end campsite for budget travelers with hundreds of individual "bungalows." The bungalow met our needs well. It was only about 8X8 feet and had bunk beds, but was very clean, had a nice, private bathroom and was only 36 euros per night! That's the cheapest rate we paid in Italy!
The best part was that it had everything backpackers need: free Wifi, a cheap shuttle to the airport, a cafe and ... as a bonus... a delightful pool. It was a resort designed for 20 somethings. I guess we were among the older crowd though. We never made it to their disco and body shot nights. :)
I had the best meal of my trip:
It was in the intoxicating, humming neighborhood of Trastevere. It was a casual trattoria that folks on Chowhound raved about (sorry, I don't know the name off the top of my head). We started with an amazing brushetta trio that included the following spreads: tomatoes, mushrooms and surprisingly delicious beans. The highlight was the main course. I had the classic Roman dish, Amatriciana. OH MY GOSH! BEST PASTA DISH OF MY LIFE! It's rigatoni with tomato sauce, onion, bacon and the best ingredient... Pecorino cheese, which is kinda sweet but has ground pepper kernels in it. Brent also tried a Roman dish: Cicio and Pepe pasta. It's quite creamy, so he didn't love it. We were the only tourists in the packed restaurant, so knew we'd found a gem.
Monks will do strange things to honor God:
The most bizarre attraction we visited was the Cappuchin Crypt. It's a series of chapel rooms elaborately decorated with... monks' bones!! Over a three century period, monks used the bones of their dead brothers to form alter, wall and ceiling pieces. The pieces are oddly beautiful... fleur de leises and criss cross patterns, etc.
The Colosseum is timelessly fascinating:
I've always been fascinated with the Colosseum, but I learned several new things. The two most interesting were: 1) they could fill it with water and have staged navy battles (the Romans were so advanced!) and, 2) it was free for Romans to attend the events, but they'd only get 2 tokens a piece for alcoholic beverages in order to reduce rowdiness. Smart.
It was very surreal to stand in that Colosseum. It really makes you wish you could have seen it in its hey day because it was magnificent.
Don't underestimate ruins:
We were surprised at how interesting we found the Roman Forum, which is mostly ruins but was once the center of Roman political and royal life. The Roman Forum area is just next door to the Colosseum. It was where the Ceasers worked and lived. You have to use your imagination to think of its once gleaming, green and white marble temples and palaces with high steps and imposing columns.
The audio tour was very good. My favorite story was about the Temple of the Vestal Virgins. At this temple, the most beautiful virgins from the city were selected to live and work for a 30-year period. Their main job was to keep the flame in the temple from ever extinguishing. However, the perk of the job was that they had rights that no other Roman women had. For example, they had a personal coach to take them freely around the city.
Rome at night is romantic:
My favorite spots were:
-Strolling Ponte Sant'Angelo, the bridge that leads to their medieval castle in the heart of the city. The bridge and castle are illuminated in soft lights and you can see the impressive dome of St. Peter's Basillica in the background
-Looking out at the top of the Spanish Steps at sunset
-Eating gelato at the Trevi Fountain
Here are our photos: http://melissabartophotos.shutterfly.com.
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